Student Success
Our Students
Our student body is as diverse as California, featuring many kinds of people from different walks of life. Our students hail from all across the state — from Sacramento to San Diego — and each has their own story to tell.
Richard
From: Redding | Programs: Data Analysis; IT Support
For Richard, making sense of data and complex databases is not too different from understanding language and linguistics, which he studied in college years ago. What is new these days is getting employers to avoid assumptions that, as an older adult in the workforce, he can’t handle computers and modern technology. “I identify as a […]
From: Hayward | Programs: Human Resources – Learning and Development; Project Management
In 2024, the white-collar recession swept through marketing, tech, entertainment, you name it. I was laid off after years as a marketing manager. But instead of hitting pause, I hit reset. One day, a Calbright College newsletter landed in my inbox, spotlighting the College’s Project Management program. Something about it clicked. I reached out to […]
From: Los Angeles | Programs: Data Analysis
From: Los Angeles | Programs: Data Analysis
Jeanette grew up the child of immigrants in Los Angeles – the first in her family to go to school in the United States. She’s always wanted to have a successful career, but didn’t know what kind of work she’d feel good doing. She was looking for jobs she’d care about, and not finding them. […]
From: Modesto | Programs: HR – Learning and Development
Melissa was a middle school teacher for 20 years before she became an instructional facilitator who helps kids who need additional resources and support. She loves the job, but pending local and state budget cuts are making her position precarious, and she wants to do something new. “The education system is changing, and it is […]
From: Mountain House | Programs: Data Analysis; CRM Platform Administration
Kalpana, who has graduated from one certificate program and started another, has a message for anyone considering Calbright: “Everyone here is an adult learner who wants to re-enter the workforce or transition their career, so you’re not alone,” she said. “Calbright is designed to provide all the information, resources, and career support we need to […]
From: Sacramento | Programs: Data Analysis
“I have been a Jill-of-all-trades the majority of my life,” Deborah said. She’s been a nursing assistant, a buyer for businesses. She’s travelled around the country as a singer. She’s a mother of three, and a grandmother of five. She’s a high school dropout who got her GED later in life, and then went to […]
From: San Francisco Bay Area | Programs: CRM Platform Administration; Project Management; Data Analysis
“I have a bit of a varied background,” said Katie, a returning Calbright graduate from the Bay Area. “Right out of high school I was very interested in tech, and I really wanted to go into web design and development, but it was still sort of a new field at that point, and I really […]
From: Silicon Valley | Programs: CRM Platform Administration; Data Analysis
Pratima grew up and got her education in India, then followed her husband to Silicon Valley, where she’s been living for over 20 years. When she got her work permit, she wanted to do it all: work in technology, raise her family, and continue her education. But “it was too much,” she said. “Family was […]
From: San Diago | Programs: IT Support; Cybersecurity; Network Technology
Ahmed made history as the first student to complete all three of Calbright’s technology programs: IT Support, Cybersecurity, and Network Technology. Reflecting on his experience, he said, “It was fun!” Initially, he hadn’t planned to pursue all the technology programs, but after completing the IT program, he felt inspired to continue with Cybersecurity, and then […]
From: Rancho Cordova | Programs: Data Analysis
Ekaterina came to California to find her American dream. Her family immigrated from Russia in 2022. “We are a new family in a new country. Me, two children, and my husband,” she said. They first came to Virginia, then to New York City, but it was California where they could find housing and a job. […]
From: Orange County | Programs: IT Support; Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is the stable, prosperous, career that Hai spent 15 years looking for. Hai is the first generation in his family to be born in the United States – and to go to college. “I was born in Little Saigon, in Orange County, and was raised by a single mom. Her college education in Vietnam […]
From: South Los Angeles | Programs: CRM Platform Administration; Data Analysis
Leonard’s life had seemed to be on track. He went to college, got a degree, and a job … but life can go in unexpected directions. “I got married, things happened, the pandemic derailed everything, I was in a financial bind, and then I had to restart all over again,” he said. “My plans got […]